Means for moving spray guns or other devices through predetermined paths



March 14, 1944. H. A. ROSELUND MEANS FOR MOVING SPRAY GUNS OR OTHER DEVICES THROUGH PREDETERMINED PATHS Filed Aug. 17, 1939 17 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ham/d 4. Fax/(1)70 MQM March 14, 1944. H. A. ROSELUND 2,344,108

MEANS FOR MOVING SPRAY GUNS OR OTHER DEVICES 'Ifl-IROUGH PREDETERMINED PATHS Filed Aug. 17, 1959 17 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIE E.

4- 4 f/ l' f I 67 2: 67

5 I I c g I I n ...uf| AT 4 5 8/ H ifl 78 o oo l "203 /Z.; o o

March 14, 1944. H. A. ROSELUND 2,344,108

MEANS FOR MOVING SPRAY GUNS OR OTHER DEVICES THROUGH PREDETERMINED PATHS Filed Aug. 17, 1939 17 Sheets-Sheet 3 l I'ITITFQTI ATTORNEYS.

March 14, 1944. H. A. ROSELUND MEANS FOR MOVING SPRAY GUNS OR OTHER DEVICES THROUGH PREDETERMINED PATHS Filed Aug. 17, 1939 17 Sheets-Sheet 4 Q] MW Ham/a 4. Fuse/and.

93% I Qua/$ M.

March 14, 1944. ROSELUND 2,344,108

MEANS FOR MOVING SPRAY GUNS OR OTHER DEVICES THROUGH PREDETERMINED PATHS Filed Aug. 17, 1939 17 Sheets-Sheet 5 Elma/mm March 14, 1944. ,4 H. A. ROSELUND 2,344,108

MEANS FOR MOVING SPRAY GUNS OR OTHER DEVICES THROUGH PREDETERMINED PATHS Ham/a A. floss/0nd March 1944- H. A. ROSELUND 2,344,108

MEANS FOR MOVING SPRAY GUNS OR OTHER DEVICES THROUGH PREDETERMINED PATHS Filed Aug. 17, 1939 1'7 Sheets-Sheet 8 H. A. ROSELU ND March 14:, 1944.

MEANS FOR MOVING SPRAY GUNS OR OTHER DEVICES THROUGH PREDETERMINED PATHS Filed Aug. 17, 1939 17 Sheets-Sheet l0 m: t m

March 14, 1944. H. A. ROSELUND MEANS FOR MOVING SPRAY GUNS OR OTHER DEVICES THROUGH PREDETERMINED PATHS Filed Aug. 17, 1959 17 Sheets-Sheet 11 3 wue/Mx b Ham/0 A Fuse/Una March 14, 1944. H. A. ROSELUND MEANS FOR MOVING SPRAY GUNS OR OTHER DEVICES THROUGH PREDETERMINED PATHS Filed Aug. 17, 1939 1'7 Sheets-Sheet l2 QNN llllIlL r l t Ham/d A. F05 f/U/Jd March 14, 1944.

H. A. ROSELUND MEANS FOR MOVING SPRAY GUNS OR OTHER DEVICES THROUGH PREDETERMINED PATHS Filed Aug. 17, 1939 17 Sheets-Sheet 14 FIG: E5.

fag \ix 3 YVU q/MM Ham/d A. fase/u/iz/ March 14, 1944- H. A. ROSELUND MEANS FOR MOVING SPRAY GUNS 0R OTHER DEVICES THROUGH PREDETERMINED PATHS l7 Sheets-Sheet 15 Filed Aug. 17, 1939 k yto mum Ham/0 A. [Pose/and osh March 14, 1944.

H. A. ROSELUND MEANS FOR MOVING SPRAY GUNS OR OTHER DEVICES 17 Sheets-Sheet 16 Ham/a Afiose/und March 14, 1944. RQSELUND 2,344,108

MEANS FOR MOVING SPRAY GUNS OR OTHER DEVICES THROUGH PREDETERMINED PATHS Filed Aug. 17, 1939 17 Sheets-Sheet l7 3/ FIl3. EO- T T 356 3.55

wow/W Patented Mar. 14, 1944 MEANS FOR MOVING SPRAY GUNS DR OTHER DEVICES THROUGH PREDETER- MINED PATHS Harold A. Roselund, Toledo, OhioI assignor to The De Vilbiss Company, Toledo, Ohio, at corporation of Ohio Application August 17, 1939, Serial No. 290,648

13 Claims. (CI. 91-45) Thi invention relates particularly to equip-- ment for applying surface coating materials by spraying action successively to bodies of like shape and size, which bodies are either moved continuously or intermittently in successiv order to and from spraying position, the present embodiment of the invention being intended more particularly for use in connection with the spraying of automobile bodies traveling in successive order on a conveyor, as in paint shops.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a spray un handling mechanism which is constructed for and automatically operated to impart predetermined spraying movements to a spray gun in simulation of the irregular movements of such a gun in the hands of a manual operator spraying a body or a predetermined portion thereof and to eifect a body spraying action during such movement.

A further object of the invention is the provision of such a spray gun handling mechanism having a multi-jointed spray gun carrying arm, the movements of which are automatic and in simulation of the manual handling of a spray gun in performing a'particular surfac coating job, being controlled by a pattern made to suit such job, whereby th same spray Bun movements may be repeated for successive like Jobs, for instance for successive automobile bodies as they move into the range of the mechanism on a traveling conveyor,

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description thereof, and from the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment of the invention, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation, with parts broken away, of an apparatus embodying the invention showing it in position for and in the act of spraying a body mounted for movement on a conveyor; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section and elevation taken on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1, with parts removed; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, with parts broken away; Figs. 4 and 5 are enlarged sections on the lines 4-4 and 5-5, respectively, in Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of the air pressure control means shown in Fig. 1, with parts broken away; Figs. 7 and 8 are sections on the lines 1-1 and 8-8, respectively, in Fig. 2; Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-4 in Fig. 2, with parts broken away; Fig. 10 is a section on the line Iii-l0 in Fig. 4, with parts broken away; Figs. 11 and 12 are enlarged horizontal and vertical fragmentary sections or the elbow joint portion of the spray gun carrying arm with associated operating parts; Figs. 13 is an enlarged central longitudinal section taken vertically in Fig. 1 through the outer end portion of the forearm member of the spray gun carrying arm and through its wrist and hand portions, together member employed in attaching the spray gun to the holder or hand portion of the control arm; Fig. 20 is a modified view similar to Fig. 1, with hydraulic control means for certain of the arm joints; Fig. 21 is an enlarged detail of the hydraulic control part shown broken away in Fig. 20; Fig. 22 is a cross-section on the line 22-22 in Fig. 21; Fig. 23 is an enlarged central vertical longitudinal section through the elbow joint portion of the arm in Fig. 20; Fig. 24 is a cross-section on the line 24-24 in Fig. 23; Fig. 25 is an enlarged cross-section on the line 2525 in Fig. 20, with parts broken away and parts in full; Figs.v26 and 27 are modified views similar to Figs. 23 and 21, respectively, showing such parts adapted for positive hydraulic pressure actuated movements inboth directions of the respective plungers; Fig. 28 is a diagrammatical view of the control circuit for th ap- -paratus; Fig. 29 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified counterbalancins means for the spray gun arm; Fig. 30 is an enlarged section on the line 303ll in Fig. 29; Fig. 31 is a fragmentary plan view taken on the line 3l3i in Fig. 30, and Fig. 32 is a section on the line 32-32 in Fig. 30.

Referring to the drawings, I designates a conveyor which may be of the continuously moving type, such as commonly used in automobile paint shops, 2 a track on which the conveyor travels, and 3 a body to be painted and constituting one of a series mounted on the conveyor and movable thereby into and out of spraying range. It is customary in the paint shops of automobile factories to cause the conveyor to move continuously at a predetermined speed, whereby the automobile bodies carried thereby are successively brought into and moved slowly past spraying position. The present invention resides in an automatic means for moving a spray gun through a predetermined irregular path to spray a body 3 as it is moved by the same, either by continuous or intermittent movements of the conveyor, such path ofmovement of the spray gun simulating that of a manually operated spray gun in effecting the spraying of the accessible portion of a body of like design and shape with the operator standing in one position.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, It designates a base frame having a casing or housing I l rising therefrom and enclosing a pattern drum I2. This casing, in the present instance, is of cylindrical form and closed at its top. The drum l2.is shown as disposed for rotation about a vertical axis, and is mounted at its lower end on a drive shaft I3 of stub form rising from a gear case I4, and at its upper end on a stub shaft [5. This shaft I3 is driven from a motor it through a suitable speed reduction gearing, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

The casing I I, at what may be termed its front side, has a vertically elongated opening 23 therein (Figs. 2 and 9) at the sides of which, on the casing, are secured the vertical mounting strips and its head 3| in accordance with the form of the groove. 4 a

The inner section 33 of the arm B has its inner end forked (Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 10) to provide the bearing arms 43, which are horizontally spaced and straddle one side of the shaft head 33, and have vertical rocking connection with said head through a cross shaft 41 journaled therein. This shaft projects from each side of the head 33 beyond the fork arms 43 to which it is fixed and fixedly carries a pinion 43 at each end without said arms for the purpose hereinafter described.

24. A plurality of gear cases are mounted in superposed order on these strips crosswise of the opening 23 and the gear sets contained in these cases have operating connection with the drum i2 and with the respective joint mechanisms of a spray gun carrying arm, as hereinafter. described.

A spray gun A is carried at the free end of an arm B having a plurality of relatively movable jointed sections corresponding to the upper arm, the forearm, the wrist and the hand of a human being, and with the joint connections between the upper arm section and its carrying means and between the several arm sections preferably such as to permit movements simulating the various movements of the respective portions of a human arm and hand. The sections of the arm B which correspond to the human upper arm, the forearm and the hand are designated 30, 3| and 32, respectively.

The shoulder joint connection of the arm section with the drum [2 is through mechanism, a portion of which is mounted in a case 33 at the upper end portion of the casing Ii and at- "tached to the strips 24 over the opening 23 in such casing. The case 33 (Figs. 1, 2, 5 and 10) has a hollow vertical shaft 34 mounted therein, with its upper end extending above the case and provided with a hollow head 35, the hollow of which opens into that of the shaft. The shaft 34 has suitable bearings 36 in the case 33 to permit horizontal turning of the shaft, and has a spiral gear 31 fixed thereto within the case. This gear meshes with a drive pinion 38 (Fig. 5) mounted on a shaft 39 journaled horizontally in the upper end portion of the case 33, with its axis projecting outward relative to the pattern drum l2. The shaft 39 carries a pinion 40 at its inner end in mesh with a rack-bar 4| mounted in and guided for vertical reciprocatory movements in the inner portion of the case 33 and having an angled arm 42 fixed thereto and projecting inwardly therefrom toward the drum through the casing opening 23, and carrying at its free end a roller 43 traveling within a cam groove 44 extended circumferentially around the drum l2. It is apparent that the roller 43 traveling in the cam groove 44 will impart vertical reciprocatory movements to the rack-bar 4i and this in turn will rotate the shaft 39 to effect a predetermined turning of the shaft 34 A spiral gear 43 (Figs. 4 and 10) is fixed to the shaft 41 within the hollow of the head 35 and meshes with a drive gear 50 fixed to the upper end portion of a vertical shaft 5!. This shaft extends down through the hollow of the shaft 34 and through the lower end thereof into the case 33, being suitably journaled in the lower end of the shaft 34 and in the upper end of its head 33, as best shown in Fig. 10. A spiral gear 32 is fixed to the lower extended end of the shaft SI and meshes with a drive pinion 53 fixed "to a shaft 34 (Fig. 5). This shaft is journaled in the lower portion of the case 33 in parallel relation to and below the plane of the shaft 33 and carries a rack pinion 55 at its inner end in mesh with a vertically movable rack-bar 53. This rack-bar is guided in the case 33- in the same manner as the rack-bar 4| and has an angled arm 51 fixedly projecting therefrom without the inner side of the case 33 through the opening 23 in the drum casing II and has a roll 58 at its free end operating within a cam groove 53 of the drum l2. It is apparent that a rotation of the drum will impart vertical reciprocatory movements to the rack-bar 56 and this in turn will impart vertical rocking movements to the arm section 30 through the shafts 54, 5| and 41 and associated gearing in accordance with the form of the groove 53.

It is further apparent that horizontal rocking movements are imparted to the arm section 30 from rocking movements communicated to the shaft 34 and its head 35 and the connection of the former with the rack-bar 4| the arm 42 of which engages within the cam groove 44 of the pattern drum.

The weight of the arm B is counterbalanced by two arms 62 having weights 63 at their outer ends (Figs. 1 and 3) and having their inner ends mounted on the respective ends of a shaft 65 projecting from the head 35 (Fig. 4). The arms 62 are fixedlyconnected to respective pinions 68 mounted loosely on the shaft 65 therewith, and these pinions are connected to the respective pinions 48 through intermediate idler pinions 31. The connection between and relative positioning of the arm section 30 and weight arm 62 are such that when one is in horizontal position the other will also be in such position, and a raising of the arm section 30 will cause a raising of the weight arm, thus causing a perfect balancing of the arm B in an position of its movement.

The elbow joint for the arm B, which is between the arm sections 30 and 3|, is shown in sectional detail in Figs. 11 and 12. In the present form of such joint, the section 3| has its inner end forked as shown at 10, and straddling a narrowed end portion H of the section 30. The portion H is preferably in the form of a gear housing. The parts 10 and II are pivotally connected by a horizontally disposed cross-shaft I2, which is iournaied in the housing 1|, and has a spiral gear 13 mounted centrally thereon within the housing. In the present instance, the shaft I2 includes a sleeve I4 to which the gear is keyed, and the ends of this sleeve are interconnected with the arms of the fork 10, as shown in Fig. 11, to cause a pivotal movement of one with the other.

The gear I3 is in mesh with and driven by a pinion I carried by a shaft 19 mounted for free rotation in the housing II above said gear (see Fig. 12). This shaft has driving connection, as at I1, with a flexible shaft I8 which, in the present instance, extends through a side opening I9 in the arm section 30 (Fig. 1) and to a shaft 30 mounted in a gear case 8| fixed to the casing strips 24 below the gear case 33 (Figs. 1, 2 and 7). The shaft 80 is horizontallydisposed and carries a pinion 82 within the case 9| in mesh with a rack-bar 93. This rack-bar carries an angled arm 84 which at its free end is pro-.

vided with a roller 39 traveling in a cam groove 39 in the drum I2. It is thus apparent that vertical reciprocatory movements of the rack-bar 93, as its roller follows the cam groove 80, will impart vertical rocking movements to the arm section 3| relative to the section 30 through the intermediate shafts and gearing.

The arm section 3| is counterbalanced relative to the arm section 30 by a weighted arm 91, fixed to the inner end of the section 3I and projecting outwardly lengthwise thereof.

The section 3| of the arm B terminates at its outer end in a right-angularly projecting wrist portion 90 in which is disposed the wrist joint carrying the hand member 32 of said arm. This hand member is hollow and has the hollow shaft 9| (Fig. 13) projecting from its inner end into the hollow wrist part 90 and journaled therein for rotation in coaxial relation to the member 90, the bearings for such shaft being designated 92. The driving means for the shaft 9| will be later described.

The wrist member 90 is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the arm section 3| and for such purpose is fixed to and projects at right angles from the outer end portion of a sleeve 95 that is journaled for rotation in a housing part 99 journaled in one side of the rear end portion of the housing part 3| lengthwise thereof. The

' shaft 99 is connected by a flexible shaft III to an associated drive means which is connected to and operated by a rotation of the drum I2 as hereinafter described.

For the purpose of imparting rotation to the hand member 32 about the axis of its shaft 9|, such shaft is provided at its inner end with a bevel gear I05 (Fig. 13) in mesh with a bevel gear I06 on the forward end of a hollow shaft or sleeve I0'I extending through and mounted concentrically in the sleeve 95 for rotation relative thereto, the bearings between the twosleeves being shown at I08. The rear end of the sleeve I0! is connected through a pair of gears I09 to a shaft IIO journaled in a side portion of the housing part 3| at its rear end and substantially diametrically opposed to the mounting of the shaft 99. The shaft IIO has a flexible shaft I00 extending therefrom and connected to and driven by the drum I2 as hereinafter described.

The gun A is carried by the member 32 by an arm III (Figs. 14, 18, 1'!) on the gun fixedly attaching to the outer end of a cross shaft III (Fig. 14) iournaled in the member 32 at one side of its turning axis. which latter is coaxial with the wrist extension 90 and shaft 9|. The shaft IIB carries a spiral gear I" within the hollow of the member 32 and this meshes with a drive pinion I I9 on a shaft III (Fig. 13) which is journaled in the member 32 in coaxial relation to its turning axis and extends axially through its shaft 9|. The'inner end of the shaft III carries a bevel gear I20 in mesh with a bevel gear I2I on a shaft I22, which is iournaled in and extends axially through the hollow shaft I01 in the housing 3I at the forward end of the arm section 3|. The shaft I22 has connection through a flexible shaft I22 with and is operated by the cam drum I2 in the same manner as the shafts I00 and III as hereinafter described.

The flexible shafts I00, III and I23 are preferably carried up to and attached to the arm section 30 near its outer end for movements therewith and then preferably extend to the inner end portion of the arm section 3| and through an opening therein and thence outwardly within said section to the respective shafts H0, 99 and I22 in the forward end portion of the arm section 3| with which they connect.

It is apparent that the described connection of the gun A with the arm section 3| is such as to permit the gun to have a universal movement with respect to such arm section, such movement being accomplished through the provision of three wrist joints, one being the joint which permits angular movement of the wrist part 90 about the arm section axis, a second being the joint which permits rotation of the member 32 about an axis coincident with that of the wrist part 90, and the third being the joint which permits revoluble movement of the spray gun about the axis of the shaft I I6, the axis of each of these joints being at right angles to the other two.

The flexible shaft III is connected at its inner or drum end to a shaft I90 mounted in horizontal position within a case I9I attached to the drum casing I I across the opening 23 therein and such shaft carries a driven pinion I92 (Fig. 8). A second shaft I93 is mounted in the case I9I in parallel relation to the shaft I90 and carries a gear I 94 in mesh with the pinion I92 and also a rack pinion I95 in mesh with a rack-bar I93 which is mounted for vertical reciprocatory movements in said case.. This rack-bar has an arm I91 fixedly projecting therefrom and carrying a roller I98 in position to travel in a registering cam groove I99 around the drum face. It is apparent that reciprocatory movements of the rack-bar I96, induced by the formation of the drum groove I99 as the roller I98 travels therein, imparts predetermined rotation in the flexible shaft III to effect the desired angular movement to the wrist part 90 about the axis of the arm section 3|. For the purpose of such movement,

' it is desired to speed up the rotation of the shaft III relative to that of the shaft I93 which is directly driven by the rack pinion, and for this purpose the gear I94 is larger than the driven pinion I92, the ratio, in the present instance, being approximately three to one.

The flexible shaft I00 is in driven connection with a cam groove 200 in the drum I2 through a mechanism the same or similar to that shown 

